The Unanticipated
by DBZfan4
Summary: Our favorite ensign finds himself once again in a tough spot. The Enterprise is sent to an uncharted sector for what should be a routine exploration, but all is not as it seems. The exciting sequel to The Unknown. The Wesley Chronicles p2
1. Chapter 1

The Unanticipated

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Star Trek or any of its characters.

Another day done. A day of duty and studies much like any other day the routine had begun to set in again. This was not a dissatisfying routine in fact it was quite pleasant. The recent events had left him shaken and to be back to ordinary events was wonderful. He still couldn't quite figure out what had happened. Sure he could tell someone what had happened but not why or how. He had allowed the cushion of ship duties and his studies to keep his mind away from it, but now he found himself free and the question had come up. There was no point trying to cover it up any longer it would come up sometime. At least if he tried to make sense of it now he could save himself some grief later. So he went over in his mind what had happened. Sifting for any clue as to why. He though back to the feeling of unsettledness and then to the incident with Counselor Troi. The next was a dream, then while he was knocked out, and finally the over throw. Clearly it had progressed as time passed and the discovery of it. The question remained what was it, perhaps it was a fluke. That was an easy enough explanation, one that would allow him to continue as if nothing had happened. Though then the question was what if it was something more? What if this was only the beginning? The question both excited and scared him. The fear was a bit more prevalent though. The unknown was always a bit scary.

* * *

Data's personal log

The recent events on this ship have left me quite perplexed. Wesley Crusher was somehow psychically connected to an alien creature, while the concept of telepathy is not new this was certainly unexpected. I have recently made an extensive search into his ancestry and cannot find any link to a known telepathic race. I have even extended it into branches like fortunetelling, but cannot find any past link. This leads me to believe that maybe some other particular variance in his personal makeup has made him susceptible to this particular form of communication. There is an alternative solution, however, it may be that the unique genetic combination has developed in such a way as to give him some sort of power unknown to ordinary human beings. I will continue to research this matter. Another perplexing and equally intriguing thing is the ships emotional reaction to this new development. I have done extensive research on the emotional aspect of humanity and can describe the situation as a slight tension while around him. Humanity has often had a suspicious nature when encountering new things. Some seemed to readily accept the past encounter as just another mission. While others have withdrawn slightly. I do not understand why humans often change their opinions of someone after such events. Perhaps one day I will understand it, but for now I will continue to observe.

* * *

As always Geordi found himself fixing the various systems from their last major encounter. Granted this time there really wasn't any major damage but whatever the aliens had done had slightly affected a few of the systems. While some engineers would be content to leave them as they were Geordi was not. Someone might think of him as a perfectionist compelled to have the systems in the best possible condition. This may have been partially true but the reason why he was compelled to have everything just so was that he knew that at any moment he could be asked to stretch the engines or other systems to their limits. He also knew from experience that in order to rely on them pulling through in the most strenuous situations they need to be in the best possible shape and he also had to have them configured so that he could hold the ship together. Geordi never thought of these routine fixes as dull or boring he always liked to keep up on the systems and constantly interact with them. The way he figured it was the more he knew about the ship the more likely he could fix it in a pinch. He often wondered how others could be engineers if they found such things tedious and therefore did not do them. The minute changes in function the partial bugging of a system that made it a little less efficient those were things Geordi weeded out with adept skill and infinite patience.

Problems with the ship he could deal with. He could dissect anything ship related but when it came to social equations he was a bit at a loss. Wesley one of his most dedicated personal and one of the most suited to solving problems had been involved in one of the more unusual problems they had had. Geordi knew that he must feel strange having dealt with something like that, but even worse was the changing attitudes of crew. As always the crew was interactive and kind but there was always minute changes after such incidents. He could understand some of what he would be feeling. Geordi had always been blind and had always had to watch people adapt to him. This was similar only usually it was from the beginning of a relationship and not in the middle. Wesley surely had notice a little of it, but Geordi hoped that he wouldn't take anything to heart. The last thing that boy needs is another awkward phase.

* * *

Captains ready room

Admiral Haden's image appeared on the screen with a somewhat distasteful look on his face.

"Admiral"

"Captain Picard, Starfleet command has come to a decision. We find that your actions do not warrant an official court martial proceeding. Let me stress however that the admiralty does not in any way condone your actions. Also captain I will inform you that if not for your long history you would be forced to endure such a proceeding and in all likelihood would have been demoted or discharged. You can thank your luck also that the romulans cannot apply pressure being that they also violated the neutral zone." It was quite clear from his tone and expressions that he had been one in favor of a court martial. The admiralty would often hold these closed door discussions for captain ranked or higher Starfleet personnel. They could not court-martial a person without an official public proceeding as stated in their own and the Federation's statutes. They merely discussed if the formal hearing was warranted.

"You are on thin ice captain as is I would advise that you watch your step in the future."

"I understand."

"Your next mission is a very routine one that should not require you to make any rash decisions." The admiral said implying that they had made sure to keep him away from such a mission at least for the moment.

"Speaking of which, Admiral what is our next mission?"

"You will be charting an area and taking some scientific measures of it in the process. During which you will take samples from a few 'interesting' planets in the sector in question. It should take you a week or so. I'm sending you the pertinent information now. And captain if you find that you feel it necessary to violate regulations again remember you are not in good graces. Haden out."

The captain wasn't expecting much less. He knew when he had decided to cross the neutral zone that he was taking a risk. Granted it was a risk in his mind that was worth taking, but Starfleet could not always stand by him on such matters. The good news was that he could continue to command the Enterprise and if he could have no favor with Starfleet command he was content to be the faithful guardian of her. He took a few moments to skim over the information the admiral had sent him.

"Commander Riker, report to my ready room."

A few minutes later Riker entered the room with a somewhat worried look on his face. He knew also that the captain had risked much.

"Well number one, it would seem that Starfleet command has decided not to hold an official court martial."

"That's great Captain" he said with genuine excitement.

"Though it seem they are very keen on keeping me out of the public image for awhile. Our next mission." He said as he turned the screen, the commander took a look at it.

"A charting and scientific research mission and on the outskirts of federation space no less. It will take a few days just to get there."

"Yes a fact I'm sure they are very aware of. Number one I want you to let the crew know the next mission. In the mean time I will work on a schedule for all the things command wants us to do while we're there."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed, oh and number one if any romulan ships pop up be sure to inform them that we're forbidden from getting into anymore trouble."

Riker cracked a grin and said "Will do."

AN: Ok well here is the next story for you. Bear with me for a bit this is just a set up chapter. I promise that there will be plenty of excitement and as you would expect cliffhangers. I was wanting to create a follow up story and then I got the perfect idea for one as you will see later.


	2. Chapter 2

The Unanticipated

Chapter 2

It was surprising how slowly two days could go by and the worst part was they had a long mission ahead. He couldn't really complain there was lots to do, but at the same time he was a bit bored. Every helm shift was dull; all there was to do was make minute adjustments and most were unnecessary. Engineering shifts were spent reconfiguring systems to utilize certain features a little more efficiently. And then there was his studies, he mentally sighed. Well what to say about those, those always seemed dull compared to the excitement of ship duty. It was blatantly obvious to Wesley, who didn't even have much experience with Starfleet politics, that this new mission was an attempt to keep them out of public. Also he knew it was in a way a punishment. He couldn't help but feel guilty for it. He was relieved that the captain would never blame him and would explain he did what he thought best. Captain Picard had however reached his decision in part because of Wesley. Wesley chided himself for falling so foolishly. His naivety had gotten the best of him.

* * *

"Well now that we are finally here we better get started." The captain said as he took his seat in the command chair. "Number one are all the preparations made?" of course the captain knew they were but it was always reassuring to here it out loud.

"Yes sir, the first science teams to use the sensors and equipment are standing by."

"Then by all means, lay in the course ensign Crusher and engage at half impulse."

"Aye sir, laying in heading and engaging at half impulse."

"Inform the science teams to begin their scans. Now then number one I believe I have the first watch."

"Yes sir." Riker took that as his queue to leave and did just that.

This looked to be a rather monotonous and boring assignment. The captain could always take refuge in his ready room and let Data inform him if anything came up. Perhaps later but for now he wanted to give the sense that he was not looking at this as dull. The first hour went by with no problems. The captain had done pretty well to not fidget.

"Strange." Data said, which usually meant there was something interesting going on.

"What is it?" the captain asked.

"Sir, I have noticed an odd reading. It seems almost like a sensor beam but was so brief that I could not place it."

"A sensor beam, Are we picking up any vessels in the area?"

"No sir long and short range sensors show no vessels, but if the ship had cloaking capability we could not read them." Worf piped in

"Could it be an echo from our ship?"

"It is possible, however I do not have sufficient data to conclusively prove or disprove either theory."

"Well then Mr. Data keep an eye on it."

Another hour passed in good order. Wesley was liking this shift a little more than the last couple. This was due in part because he had made the original course and every once in awhile he would get a relayed message from data to make minor course changes to better accommodate the various sensors and equipment. Overall it proved to be his best shift in the last week. Sitting there making the minor adjustments he got a sudden pang in his head. It was so brief he didn't know what to make of it. He decided it couldn't be important and continued working.

* * *

Geordi had been put in charge of monitoring the various needs. Which basically boiled down to him running around and arguing with science officers. He knew that at times he could be a bit overbearing when it came to engineering, but the science officers were completely obsessed and supremely arrogant for the most part. This led to a few heated arguments about who should use what when and why they should be of higher priority. There was so much time allotted for this mission he didn't see how it mattered most of the squabbles where over things they were yet to pass by again and perhaps a third time, but the science officers had their various reasons. He rubbed his temples as he took a brief seat. Geordi was starting to build up a headache but at least he was only temporarily in charge. The rest of the time would be Data's and commander Riker's, who had roped him into doing this in the first place. Usually on these missions he was working on fixing, repairing, and improving the various devices, which he much preferred.

* * *

Another hour gone, it was getting that much closer to the end of his shift which now he started to welcome a little more. The monotony had set in a bit and the excitement began to wear off. Not that he was in any hurry to be done with it the only other prospect he had for the day was homework, he might be able to slip some down time in ten forward in their but probably not. In the midst of this the pang came back, only this time it felt familiar somehow kind of like what had happened before. This frightened him a bit he didn't know if he was ready to explore that side again. Then as suddenly as it had come it was gone again, but the feeling of dread it had invoked was still present.

"Captain, I just had another unusual reading. It was not exactly the same as the first, in fact I am unsure how to describe it."

"Are there any further indications of something out there?"

"No sir, it remains as before except the two unusual readings there have been no indications of any ships or settlements."

"Sir I recommend we go to red alert." Worf piped in always one for hasty defense.

"I don't see any indications of threat as of yet Mr. Worf. For now we will continue as if there is nothing going on."

The rest of the shift was normal, but Wesley still hadn't completely shaken off the feeling of dread and he couldn't explain why he would dread such an experience. Perhaps it was paranoia or a trepidation for something unfamiliar. He returned to his quarters. There he began to lay out his projects and homework he needed to work on. He was doing some calculations when it came back, only this time it was worse. It struck almost like a bolt of lightning. Danger, there's something dangerous. The ship is in trouble! As if to confirm it the red alert klaxons began to blare.

AN: Oh yeah I still got it, cliffhangers are fun. A little more story told but perhaps not as much as you would like. Well deal with it I did deliver it in a more reasonable time so relax it will become clearer soon.


	3. Chapter 3

The Unanticipated

Chapter 3

The pressures of being in charge of a department were never more evident then when a red alert was in effect. Beverly found herself scrambling to get sickbay in order incase anything should happen. She had to organize the teams that would respond to the severe cases as well as the staff that would stay in sickbay to handle them and the ones that managed to walk or were carried by others into sickbay. She found that in these times that she wasn't exactly nervous, but she couldn't help but hope that none of the patients would end up being the senior staff or her son. If that were the case she could separate her worry from her duties at least enough to do her best, but if one died she would be saddened. Beverly had to remind herself that as of yet there didn't seem to be any reason for this worry and that it would not be productive to dwell on such things.

* * *

The flashing red was only more of an incentive for his quick pace. He had immediately rushed out of his quarters when he heard and felt it. It wasn't just because he was concerned, he was the emergency relief for the current pilot. When he took on more responsibility he had been given and emergency procedure list of what were his duties. It informed him of when it was his duty to relieve the officer and when it was his duty to be on back up if for some reason they couldn't maintain their post. He needed to figure what was going on too, what had given him such a clear sense of danger. It was still there but it seemed to have faded slightly like it was still dangerous but not as much as earlier. Wesley actually had a double duty he was to man a science station as a complement to ops so he could use some of the more unusual scans. He had learned that it was common for the relief personnel to be given such tasks. The turbolift stopped on the bridge and he immediately took his station and got a status update of what was going on. This turned out unnecessary because the captain had been relieved and on his way to his quarters when Riker sounded red alert.

"Number one, whats going on?"

"Captain, a ship decloaked momentarily, it was so brief we barely caught it but Mr. Data believes it might be Romulan."

"Data, are you sure?"

"Sir, I cannot be absolutely sure as to the particular ship. I have however noted on several occasions the action of decloaking and have taken the readings sir. These reading are within the parameters previously measured." Typical Data unwilling to give a yes unless it was absolutely true.

"Well then do we know where they are?"

"No sir the reading was several light years away and in that time I predict a 99.5% chance that they have moved at least several thousand kilometers from there."

"Yes that would be consistent if they were planning a surprise attack or if they were covertly operating. The question is what are they doing out here. Do we have any idea where they might have been heading?"

"No the readings were too brief to determine a velocity."

It was at this point that Wesley wanted to voice his suspicions. The feeling would definitely indicate that they were in danger, but he couldn't be sure what made him certain of it. He didn't want to seem to quick to jump to conclusions based on little more than gut feeling. He decided to wait and see if he could get a more decisive reason for his suspicions. The recent events would probably justify his voicing his suspicions, but he wasn't even sure of his own reasoning.

"I want short and long range scans, also I want you to run everyone we have. Try to track them, It may be that they have a malfunction and that's why we detected them in the first place."

"Captain, why would they stay here if they have been discovered." Riker asked

"Well number one, they don't know for sure they have been and I suspect that whatever compelled them to leave Romulan space continues to be their main priority. It can be expected though that they will be much more cautious so if they were planning to act soon it may yet be a few hours. In any case we must remain vigilant keep up full shields and main phasers. If they didn't know they had been spotted they will surely notice our battle status, let us hope that that will be enough to prevent any attempted 'sneak' attack."

The atmosphere seemed to be charged, the anticipation and worry were palpable. Wesley had to admit that he was not immune to these feelings. He knew even the calm cool patience of Captain Picard was a partial façade. He never gave in to these but somewhere deep down he felt them too. Even knowing this did not diminish the desired effect, just looking at him made Wesley relax a few notches. As he calmed down he felt a somewhat familiar feeling. The feeling that somehow he felt he knew something that was just out of the reach of his actual comprehension. Being somewhat of an old hand at it he approached it as he had before, diligently trying to pluck the strand of information that he thought he knew. The first time he had done so it had taken awhile to find the starting point this time he found it much faster. As he probed his own mind for what had given him this feeling he started to sense a presence. From this he then started to pin point where he sensed this presence. He brought up a star chart and without thinking let his fingers slowly narrow the coordinates down till finally he had a very specific point.

"Captain, I think I know where the Romulan ship is."

The captain began to make his way over to him once he got there he said, "Are you sure of these coordinates."

"Well, um not exactly." seeing the captains look of impatience "I can't really explain it sir, but its like it was before." alluding to the last mission

"I see... Since we have no better alternatives, helm set a course for Mr. Crushers coordinates."

"Coordinates received and laid in sir."

"Engage at half impulse and keep us 60,000 kilometers from them."

"Half impulse, 2 minutes till arival...... standing at 60,000 kilometers."

A moment later a transporter beam lanced out and at the conclusion of it the chair holding Wesley was left empty.

AN: I told you it would turn out to be an exciting story. I am very much liking this story. I plan on doing one more chap obviously, but I'm hoping for 2 or 3 and(unlikely but maybe) more. I guess it depends on what kinds of inspiration and twists and turns I can manage. Sorry about the wait actually i had most of this done not long after the second one but as often happens life got in the way and i was unable to work on it.


	4. Chapter 4

The Unanticipated

Chapter 4

A moment later a transporter beam lanced out and at the conclusion of it the chair holding Wesley was left empty.

"What the hell happened?" Riker somewhat shouted

"Mr. Worf are our shields still up?" seeing the nod "How is it possible then that Mr. Crusher could have been transported off this ship."

"Unknown… It is verified however that he was indeed transported. Captain I must point out that there are no records of a Romulan ship being able to transport from 60,000 kilometers through shielding, at least until now."

"Thank you Mr. Data, that leaves the question how the devil did they manage it."

"It is theoretically possible to transport at that range, however it would be almost impossible." Geordi pointed out

"Yes but not only would they have to do that but also they would have to get through our shields." Riker pointed out.

"If they knew our shield modulation it would be possible," Geordi continued " but I don't know how they would. Unless the romulans have made a considerable leap in both transporter and shield technology, I don't see how they would have done this."

"Yet they did." Captain Picard astutely summed up. "Which means that they are holding Mr. Crusher prisoner. Why?"

"It doesn't make sense captain, if they wanted some sort of leverage over starfleet they should have taken you. Also, they have never disguised their loath at not having the capabilities to create an android, which would make Mr. Data more likely candidate to be taken. Hell, just about anyone one would make a more likely candidate if they want access to starfleet procedures and classified information." Riker summed up

"Captain, I must point out that on our last mission Mr. Crusher did save us through the means of some unknown development in his psychic abilities" Data stated.

"Sir, that does not seem like a good enough reason for Romulans to go out of their way to get him." Riker followed up

"I would tend to agree number one, however the fact of the matter is that he has been captured, whether it is for his recent abilities or some unknown reason they have him in their custody. I will not sit idly by and let this remain so. I want options gentlemen, your best solutions ten minutes from now in the conference room."

* * *

"What do you mean he has been taken! You have to do something, get him back."

"Beverly I know its shocking but right now we're working on solutions we will have a conference in 9 minutes. Listen we will not let them keep him I promise you."

"Jean-Luc I'm so scared, who knows what kind of sick things they could be doing to him." she started to tear up

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to get him back." she could hear the concern in his voice but could also sense the steel behind them.

"I know you will." with that she ended the conversation swung back to her screen.

She could tell he wanted to say more but she had stopped him. With that he got up and quietly exited the room. When he left she let the tears flow. By the time she was done crying it was well past the meeting. Perhaps it was for the best she didn't think she could contain herself with what would probably be grim news on a rescue attempt. She composed herself enough to make it to her quarters. She was vaguely aware that there were other people in the corridors as she passed by but she didn't really notice them. When she got to her quarters she went in locked the door collapsed on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

One moment he's sitting at his station the next he's in a strange room. He immediately slaps his communicator "Wesley, to anyone." but theres nothing. They must have deactivated my communicator he thought to himself. Why would they want me there are a lot of other people on board that would be more valuable. They shouldn't even have been able to transport me in the first place, unless they have a new capability. Maybe that's it they wanted to make sure they could do it before risking losing there target. He thought it over for a bit and that among all his theories seemed the most likely to him.

"It doesn't matter why right now your first priority is to assess your situation." he reminded himself aloud.

He looked around he was in a small room and the chair he had been beamed to was the only thing in it. There was a single door similar to the ones on the enterprise. He decided to approach it to see if it would open. It did not, so he tried to pry it open with no luck. He looked around closely but could find no access panel.

"Ok so this is obviously some sort of room for confinement. Now then how do I get out." Wesley continued.

"I wouldn't worry about that, soon enough you will die anyways" a menacing voice said.

* * *

"Ok, I want options." the captain began the meeting with these words.

"Captain, I would suggest altering our shields and tightening the momentary oscillations." Worf started always concerned for the safety of the crew.

"I must point out, that we do not yet know how they managed to penetrate our shields and this may not prevent future abductions." Data chimed in

"Perhaps, but we cannot leave them as they are knowing they can do it again." Worf returned.

"Agreed, Mr. Worf work with Mr. LaForge to make these alterations. However, that is not the main purpose of this meeting. So let me redirect to how are we going to get Mr. Crusher back."

"Didn't we detect them earlier, maybe this new technology is interfering." Riker suggested.

"Maybe, but we didn't really detect them so much as they momentarily lost their cloak. The Romulans current cloaking technology is several years ahead of our sensors." Geordi pointed out.

"If they are having problems, it may be possible to modify the sensors to detect these fluctuations, however, we cannot be certain what exactly to look for, furthermore, we are unsure that there is indeed detectable fluctuations." Data postulated thorough as always.

"Mr. Data the sensors are at your disposal, if anyone can find those Romulans its you." Data made a slight nod at that. " Are there any other options." hearing no response "Then I will leave you to your work gentlemen."

The senior staff got up and made their way out save one.

"Captain, did you want to talk to me?"

"Yes counselor I did. I think you know what its about."

"Dr. Crusher is going to be going through a lot of emotional stress. I will try to talk to her, but at this point I'm not sure she'll want to listen."

"I figured you would say something like that. I told her her husband was dead and her son was abducted I don't think she'll want to talk to me."

"She doesn't really resent you for her husbands death and she knows that you couldn't do anything about Wesley. I know you have a long friendship with her and want to help but I'm not sure she will want help just yet. I'm sure in fact she would rather you concentrate on retrieving Wesley rather than comforting her."

"Thank you, counselor." with that she left and he was left standing and staring out the window.

"Somehow I will save you." he said and then he too turned and left the room.

* * *

The voice was proceeded by the appearance of an image just inside the door.

"You!" he said in shock

"Oh Yes its me again. Perhaps it is time you knew my name I am Lady Lantal former High Commander of the Expeditionary Force of the Alliance of Raal. While my people may take what happened in stride i did not. I never bought into the strategy of retreat in the face of defeat. My people are aggressors in only the vaguest sense of the word. They come they attack, they take over, plunder, pillage, but at the first sign that the 'enemy' may be able to overtake them they immediately retreat, its disgusting. So while my people were making preparations for the immediate departure I obtained this ship which is somewhat crude even by your standards. Being answerable to only a few I have managed to plant the seeds of change in a few trusted officers over time, However, my efforts were not enough to change the outcome of our most recent retreat at least for now."

Digesting all this was a very difficult task for Wesley. He had to overcome the shock and fear at the sight of her. What she said now didn't seem to be important specifically to him but if he guessed right she had not given up so quickly on changing her people by the last remark. He didn't really know how much weight her former position had carried the 'high' commander of an expeditionary force could be a mere subordinate to a home defense or could be the highest ranking officer if their forces were mostly concentrated on hostile takeover and even saying expeditionary could mean any and all colonies which would have even more power, in this case she would only be answerable to the government of her people. She obviously had some way of seeing him as well cause she looked like she was relishing what must be his obvious fear and confusion. Obviously they had incorporated some of their own technology into this ship, but apparently they didn't have enough time to make it as advanced as they're own technology which could work to his advantage, more so if he had extensive knowledge of romulan technology, but he knew that the basics would still be applicable on the same technology level. If this had been one of their ships it would have been very hard if not impossible to figure out most of it, at least if they had left most of the programing and devices he might be able to frustrate them, assuming he could ever get out of this room.

"Its useless to form strategies. Whatever it is you did I know you did not do alone that much i'm certain of and even if you could manage a similar feat, I've arranged for that. I will not nor will anyone else be the only person to give an order that could jeopardize our ship or release you, in this way you would have to control 2 or in some cases 3 people to get what you wanted and i am certain you do not have that kind of power. I and my people are also well trained in mental defenses and i have ordered that everyone keep up their 'barriers' for as long as you are on board, which you should know will not be all that long." at this she stopped to suck in his more obvious apprehension at the mention of his demise. "But don't worry it may not be as soon as you expected I first want to analyze you and of course I must repay in kind the kind of suffering some of my people have endured at your hands for forcing my hand in such a way."

There may have been some doubt in whether or not she was even but the way she got excited and said this erased it. He half expected her to cackle and ride off on a broom stick. What would the captain do here? Show some false confidence is what he came up with.

"My people will find you and then you'll regret having broken with the ways of your people." he had hoped to sound more sure and threatening but it came out in a sort of subdued statement.

"Your people can't even find the former inhabitants of this ship. Some of our technology may have interfered and made some momentary slips, but we have corrected these problems. No the only way they will find us is if we allow them too and then it will be them who regret the encounter." this time Lantal did cackle and it chilled him to his very core.

AN: Well sorry about the wait I meant to get this done sooner, but i had computer problems and it took awhile to resolve them so i wasn't working on this chapter. That and the busiest part of the year is now here and I haven't had a lot of free time. As always I hope you like it and please feel free to leave a review


	5. Chapter 5

The Unanticipated

Chapter 5

"Yes admiral, It was the same woman." Picard said.

"That is disturbing news. According to your own report this race had no trouble making our technology look insignificant."

"That is true; however, I do not believe she is currently in control of her race's full technological capabilities. The brief sensor reading showed it to be a romulan ship."

"The ship could have been refitted with devices that exceed our own though. Command believes that the short interim would have limited the amount of upgrades, but still wants extreme caution to be taken."

"I understand that admiral, but we still have a crew member unaccounted for. We can't just sit by and let that stand." The emotion in his voice slipped out a little.

"Captain Picard…" the admiral audibly sighed "command has decided to send two science vessels as per your request. They will assist you in whatever way you determine necessary. Command out."

Picard let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Now we will be able to find you."

* * *

As bleak as it seemed the training and lessons he received could not be erased. He wasn't willing to give up and accept the fate laid before him. So Wesley found himself running his hands over every inch of the walls and door area. According to what he'd learned of Romulans it was unusual to have such a room as a cell, so this room must have been used for something else. It was possible it was some sort of storage room that the doors only opened and shut from the outside. There was plenty of air coming in through some sort of micro vent. If this wasn't for a person normally then why would there be ventilation supplying fresh air? Well they could have managed to make small holes in the room and even rigged up a special vent for them. That didn't seem as likely as that this may have stored something organic, but where did that leave him even if he could figure out what this room had held it didn't mean that it would be useful in helping him escape.

Think for a moment he reminded himself. The door is the only viable exit. He went back over to it. Its completely smooth with no holds to gain any leverage against it. He checked the edges and they were essentially seamless so there was no chance of wedging something in them at least not at the moment. He took careful stock of any blemishes it seemed to have. Finally he did see something some very subtle marks that must have been made when it opened and closed. So judging by them he decided that the door would open from the left to right as he faced it so his best chance at making it open would come from the left edge. Wesley redoubled his search on that side looking for any minor defects that he might exploit. Finding nothing very useful he slammed a fist against the door in frustration. What happened next was the last thing he expected, the door opened.

* * *

The ship was in a flurry of activity. The crew was getting ready for the arrival of the science ships. One was a full day away the other was only ten hours away. The ships weren't really the reason for the activity, no the reason was for the same reason the ships were coming. This activity was all for her son, Wesley. Beverly tried to be reassured by the vigor the crew showed at coordinating the search effort. She tried to believe that the determination to find him would lead to the actual discovery of the ship that held him hostage. She wanted it to become reality more than anything else. Jean-Luc would do everything in his power to make it happen and that gave her some comfort, but it couldn't stop the aching feeling in her heart. She was supposed to be doing her daily routines, but getting distracted. She was vaguely aware that her staff were basically doing everything and she was of little help here in her present state, but she didn't know if she could bear going to her quarters. She desperately needed something to help keep her mind off of it and her staff probably realized that, which is why they are quietly going about their duties and mopping up after her. She briefly considered going to her quarters but the thought of having nothing to do but think quickly ended that notion. No she would stay here until she was completely exhausted and then maybe she would be able to sleep.

* * *

As quickly as his hopes had risen they were just as quickly dashed.

"Try as you might, but you will not escape your inevitable doom." she said as the door opened.

He was going to rush her but was met with a disruptor pointed at him.

"I wouldn't advise that, these primitive weapons do not seem to have a stun setting. Although maybe you should struggle it might end your suffering a little quicker." She paused for effect. "What nothing to say to that? Get moving you worthless scum and don't try anything or I can assure you I won't aim to kill."

With little choice left to him he made his way into the room. The room looked like some sort of security area, it had a central console and three other doors. It was odd to see since he knew that most romulan ships had brigs like that of the enterprise, but perhaps this was an isolation unit or something. Standing in the room were two guards one at the console and one at the door. The door opened and the guard stood aside. In the hall there were three more guards who took up flanking positions around him. They traveled a relatively short distance before coming to a set of double doors which he was led towards. When the doors opened he saw that it was some sort of science lab, but then noticed there was a restraining bed too. They led him to it and strapped him in. He wanted to resist, but knew there was no point he was completely surrounded. A technician of some sort came and ripped his shirt and attached some device to his chest, which he knew could only mean something bad.

"Now comes the fun part."

A rush of pain came, so unbearable that it felt as if his chest might explode. Then to his horror the technician came bearing a box of the devices.

"I will enjoy this."

AN: I have to be honest I haven't been working on this at all till just recently. I was going to finish the story in one chapter, but then you would still be waiting for this update. So I hope you enjoy it.


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